DVD Collectors Online

The Dark Knight, a review by RossRoy

Original Title: The Dark Knight: Steelbook Edition Year: 2008 Country: Canada Director: Christopher Nolan Rating: PG Length: 152 Min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

What they say
The follow-up to Batman Begins, The Dark Knight reunites director Christopher Nolan and star Christian Bale, who reprises the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne in his continuing war on crime. With the help of Lt. Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman set out to destroy organized crime in Gotham for good. The triumvirate proves effective. But soon the three find themselves prey to a rising criminal mastermind known as The Joker, who thrusts Gotham into anarchy and forces Batman closer to crossing the fine line between hero and vigilante. Heath Ledger stars as archvillain The Joker, and Aaron Eckhart plays Dent. Maggie Gyllenhaal joins the cast as Rachel Dawes. Returning From Batman Begins are Gary Oldman as Gordon, Michael Caine as Alfred and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox.

My Thoughts
I'll be very original with my review of this movie.

It definitely deserves all the praise it gets. Heath Ledger as the Joker is M-A-R-V-E-L-O-U-S! Completely deserving of his Oscar. He completely steals the show for me, and that's saying something, because he's against Bale, Freeman, Oldman and Caine - which all give good performances in their respective role. But Ledger brings this little something extra to the Joker character.

I really like the the whole Batman reboot that started with Batman Begins. I like that real, gritty, almost real life feel there is to the new Batman. It's not all shiny and heroic. Even the heroes show some flaws, but will still make the right choice in the end.

Great movie, from beginning to end. Great actor performances. Great mood and atmosphere. Loved it!



(From RossRoy's Random Viewings on March 9th, 2009)

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, a review by addicted2dvd

Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980/United States) Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (United States) Director: Irvin Kershner Writing: Leigh Brackett (Screenwriter), Lawrence Kasdan (Screenwriter), George Lucas (Story By) Length: 127 min. Video: Widescreen 2.35:1 Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio: 6.1 (Discrete), Audio Descriptive: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: DTS: 5.1, Portuguese: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Commentary

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Stars:
Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker
Harrison Ford (1942) as Han Solo
Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia
Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian
Anthony Daniels as C-3PO

Plot:
It is a dark time for the Rebellion. After a devastating attack on their ice base on the frozen planet of Hoth, the Rebels are scattered by Imperial pursuit. Luke Skywalker seeks out the mysterious Jedi Master Yoda in the swamps of Dagobah, while Han Solo and Princess Leia outrun the Imperial fleet to the beautiful Cloud City of Bespin. In an attempt to convert Luke to the dark side, the evil Darth Vader lures young Skywalker into a trap. In the midst of a fierce lightsaber duel with the Sith Lord, Luke faces a terrible truth about the Skywalker legacy.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• THX

May the 4th be with you...

So of course I had to watch at least one of the films today. Watching these in production order this time. So next time I will watched them as the studios numbered them. This is a good continuation to the previous film. And it still holds up rather well after all these years. It really is hard to believe this film it almost 40 years old. It remains well worth the time put in to watch it. And I ook forward to contue watching the saga through--out this year long challenge.



(From 2018 Challenge: Box Office TOP 100 FILMS OF ALL-TIME (Domestic Gross) on May 4th, 2018)

My PILOT Marathon, a review by Rich

Sugar Rush

Pilot
Meet 15-year-old Kim, who has an earth-shattering, hormone-surging crush on her new best friend, Sugar. Sugar is a bad girl. She's wild, sexy and exciting, and meeting her has turned Kim's world upside down. Kim and family have just moved to sunny Brighton



SUGAR RUSH is an end of the pier roller-coaster ride; it is an unpredictable journey into the mind of a screwed up, loved up, lustful adolescent. For Kim, everything sucks, everything is a cliché. What hope is there when you have mini freak for a brother, an obsessively house-proud Dad and a Mum who seems to have forgotten them all and is behaving as if she's the one who's 15 years old. Cue Sugar, who will change Kim's life beyond recognition.
Kim has a hormone surging, life changing crush on Sugar, otherwise known as Maria Sweet - the kind of girl who rules the world until she's 17, then ends up pushing a pram around the block. But to Kim she's the all encompassing, passionate experience that until now she has only dreamed of.

Disjointed and fairly uninspiring pilot, a bit like a lesbian Adrian Mole episode.
It is tastefully written, and you can't help but sympathise for the character Kim. I imagine it will develop into a 'will they/wont they' storyline, based on early signs in this opener. Kims mother certainly was a will they, as she found a new job for the families handyman over the kitchen table!
There is no great exposé of flesh or sex, it is more a love story, confused sexuality, unrequitted passion and innocent discovery of 2 adolescent girls.
Not sure whether this is one to recommend (unless you doing a lesbian marathon) will probably get back to the series in the future to learn how it develops.
 

(From My PILOT Marathon on September 24th, 2009)